The Ties that Bind
by Duskynite
Summary: Artemis is getting a visit-a visit from someone who knew about LEP as long as he did, but never forgot. Now, they have to put their heads together to save a world only one remembers, but the other knows
1. Default Chapter

Duskynite: Just finished reading' The Eternity Code'. Does anyone know if there's another coming out? Oh yes, this is my first Artemis Fowl fic.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters. I do own Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph, Ryu Koanoshi, and Demeter.  
  
Chapter One: Family Ties  
  
"You would think," Artemis grumbled, sagging unceremoniously into his chair, "that a mastermind such as I would be able to figure out a way out of this..this...atrocity!"  
  
"Since when is family an atrocity?" Butler asked mildly from his position at the door. His age progression had not in any way dampened his determination to protect his Principal and friend. His eyes kept a sharp lookout for anything unusual lurking the grounds of the Fowl Manor.  
  
"It always has been," Artemis replied bluntly, switching on his computer and going through some files, never opening them. Butler glanced over his Principal's shoulder and frowned.  
  
"You're doing it again."  
  
"I know, I know!" Artemis clunked his head on the keyboard-another thing very unlike him- and sighed. "I feel like I should know something, should remember it. There was once something on this computer-very important, Butler, very important. But WHAT?"  
  
Butler sighed and shook his head sadly. His young master had been plagued by recurring bouts of what the young genius had called 'stimulated recall'-but none of them had ever made sense. Something about fairies, and trolls. Nothing real, which aggravated Artemis to no end. He liked things he could understand and THIS was not something he understood.  
  
"Any word on Juliet?" Artemis asked finally, referring to his bodyguard's younger sister. Butler smiled proudly.  
  
"The Jade Princess is doing wonderfully, and she has finally started using her email to let me know how she is." Artemis laughed at this statement. After Juliet had gone to try out for a wrestling team under the stage name Jade Princess, Butler had gone just about insane with worry, watching the horribly graphic fights on T.V. To save both of his friends too much worry and anxiety, Artemis had given Juliet a laptop with wireless internet, making her swear to email either Butler or himself at least once every other day. She had been doing so, religiously, for nearly six weeks.  
  
"Excellent, excellent." Artemis smiled, then frowned as he glared at a picture on the table. Butler followed his gaze and sighed.  
  
"May I ask WHY you detest your cousin so much?"  
  
"Because, I do." was the uncharacteristically childish reply. Artemis turned the portrait to the side, blocking the faces with the glare from the window. Butler picked the picture up and studied it.  
  
There were Artemis Fowl I and his wife, Angeline-Artemis's parents- and there was Artemis himself-a pale, blond child, maybe nine at the time of the picture's taking. With the Fowls were another family. A man with dark hair, black eyes and a goatee, with his arm around a woman with auburn hair, gray eyes, and a very serious face. Between them, smiling shyly at the camera-the ONLY one smiling at the camera- was a little girl about Artemis's age, with auburn hair and black eyes. Butler rose an eyebrow.  
  
"She looks quite harmless, you know. Very innocent."  
  
"That's the problem. You'd think she was an alien, being born into a criminal empire as great as ours!" Artemis looked around the room with pride. Though his father had sworn to go straight after his release from the hospital, Artemis had been keeping up some small operations under the law. They reaped their benefits, while still-in a way- helping the rest of the world. But Artemis refused to go completely straight-it wasn't half as exciting to be entirely noble.  
  
"Arty!" Angeline called from the base of the large, sweeping staircase. "Please come down, darling! Your aunt and uncle are here!"  
  
"Show time," Butler said, putting the picture back and straightening his tie, reassuming the expressionless, professional look of the bodyguard. Artemis grunted and strode out of the study.  
  
"Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph," he nodded formally to his relatives as he descended the stairway. Katherine, her hair pulled neatly back in a bun, nodded back. Joseph had his back to his nephew, trying to coax something-someone in through the door.  
  
"Come, now, sweetheart, come say hello to your cousin."  
  
"Why?" Was the muffled retort. Artemis cringed at the voice. Joseph sighed and nodded to the burly man beside him. A minute later, the man came in, a thirteen year old girl under one arm. She glared sourly at her father as the man-her bodyguard, obviously- set her down  
  
"You'll have to pardon Demeter," Katherine sighed, putting a hand on her daughter's head. "She's been a bit tempermental lately."  
  
"You speak as if I were a horse," Demeter muttered, glaring at Artemis. "Hello, Artemis."  
  
"Demeter," Artemis nodded stiffly to the girl. At their sides, the two children's bodyguards sized each other up. Finally, Demeter's bodyguard held out a hand cordially.  
  
"Butler, I presume?"  
  
Butler nodded, taking the hand and looking the other man in the eye.  
  
"Yes. Ryu Koanoshi, am I right?"  
  
"That's me."  
  
"At least somebody is getting along," Angeline chuckled, patting Artemis on the shoulder. Katherine nodded in agreement and pushed Demeter towards her cousin.  
  
"Arty, be a dear and show Demeter to her rooms, please."  
  
"Yes, Mother," Artemis replied, jerking his head towards the stairs and marching up, assuming Demeter would follow. He heard her footsteps lightly tapping behind him, followed by the heavier footfalls of their guardians.  
  
"How have you been?" She asked finally.  
  
"As good as can be expected of someone of my intelligence. Yourself?"  
  
"Oh, good."  
  
Artemis turned at the vague answer, his blue eyes boring into the gray ones of his cousin.  
  
"Could you elaborate on that?"  
  
"Should I?" Demeter smirked, something Artemis didn't think he had ever seen her do. He rose an eyebrow skeptically.  
  
"You have changed since we last met."  
  
"As have you." The girl crossed her arms and planted herself firmly on the floor. Artemis glanced over her shoulder at Butler, who immediately took place behind his Principal, looking at Ryu, surprised.  
  
"I have a question for you, cousin," Demeter said in a quiet voice. "I expect you to answer, to."  
  
"Since when to you stand up to me?" Artemis snorted, remembering how she had hidden from him as a child, terrified of his vampire-like ways.  
  
"Since I hacked in to your computer a few years ago." Demeter's smile widened a little. "I found some very interesting files. A diary, even. Very, very interesting, Cousin. Now, tell me- does the word LEP mean anything to you?"  
  
"LEP?" Artemis's throat went dry, his brain kicking into overdrive.  
  
'LEP...Short...Mulch...People...Haven..'  
  
Demeter nodded at her cousin's bewildered, almost frightened face, and put a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't her nature to be cruel-she left that to her mother's brother's family, these Fowls. She, on the other hand, was much more partial to being decent to everybody, including this crazy genius cousin of hers.  
  
"It's alright, Artemis. They deleted everything and wiped your memory."  
  
"They?"  
  
"Yes. They." Demeter smiled and held up a disk. "I have some stuff to show you, if you don't mind me using your computer. It'll come in handy, because some friends of yours are in very deep trouble and I think you might be the only one who can save them." 


	2. LEP

Duskynite: Just finished reading' The Eternity Code'. Does anyone know if there's another coming out? Oh yes, this is my first Artemis Fowl fic. SIDE NOTE! I said in the beginning that Demeter had black eyes, then said later that her eyes were gray! Sorry! They are supposed to be black! If I made any other typos, I apologize. My bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters. I do own Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph, Ryu Koanoshi, and Demeter.  
  
Ice Raider: Thanks for the review!! Yes, it is a little unbelievable that Artemis would let his computer be hackable-but remember, Demeter is his cousin. If anyone can figure out how to hack him, it's her.  
  
Chapter Two: LEP  
  
Artemis sat in a state of complete shock as Demeter tapped away on his computer. His computer. The one she hacked.  
  
"I'm getting sloppy," he said finally, looking up at Butler. "She HACKED my COMPUTER!"  
  
"It wasn't easy, if that's any consolation to you," Demeter replied, clicking on some files. "I've been working on hacking this place for years."  
  
Artemis grunted.  
  
"Ah, here we go!" Demeter sat up straight and pulled her cousin's chair over to the screen. "Observe. All of these files were created by you. Read."  
  
Artemis gazed over the screen, gaping at the files of strange language that scrolled down the glowing monitor. Demeter continued to open new files, showing more and more of the strange symbols and some of Artemis's own work. She stopped, finally, on his diary.  
  
"Preposterous," Artemis snorted. "I have these dates already!"  
  
"Of course you do, they had to fill the gaps," Demeter replied lightly. "Read."  
  
Artemis did as he was told-and all hell broke loose inside his brain.  
  
'i LEP..the People..the Haven..Captain Julius Root...Mulch...Mulch Diggums...Short...Foaly...Short, CAPTAIN Short, CAPTAIN HOLLY SHORT!/i'  
  
"HOLLY!" Artemis shouted, making everyone in the room jump. He leaned closer to the monitor, reading everything frantically. Demeter stared at her cousin and his body guard-who was staring over his Principal's shoulder in sheet amazement-and then grinned at her own bodyguard.  
  
"Ryu, I think you can go get her, now."  
  
"Who?" Artemis asked in a remotely stoic voice as Ryu left the room. Demeter leaned back in the chair and laced her fingers together.  
  
"I've been doing my own research on the People, cousin. I may not be a super genius like yourself, but I'm smart and resourceful. I've been monitoring their actions for a while."  
  
"How?" Artemis stared at her blankly. "Foaly's technology surpassed even my own intelligence! He would have caught yours in a heartbeat!"  
  
"Hence the reason I didn't bother with technology," Demeter replied, waving her hand dismissively. "I sent spies."  
  
"What kind of spies," Artemis's fists clenched. If this little brat hurt ANY-  
  
"Mice."  
  
"...Mice?" Artemis raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes. Mice," came a new voice from the door. Ryu strode back in, a brown bundle in his arms. He set it down gently, closed and locked the door. Artemis goggled at the bundle for a minute. It wriggled, then unrolled, and Captain Holly Short sat up, looking around.  
  
"I thought I was finished with this place, to," she groaned, rubbing her temples. She glared at Demeter.  
  
"Well, do they know?"  
  
"Of course, Short," was Demeter's reply. "You heard us yourself."  
  
"Mice?!" Artemis repeated. "How do MICE serve as spies?"  
  
"By running around the Haven, being chased back up aboveground, and then having their brainwaves scanned to form pictures and conversation," replied Demeter with a shrug. "It wasn't too complicated."  
  
Artemis stared at Holly for a minute, eyes wide.  
  
"I'm not supposed to remember you," He finally stated.  
  
"No, you're not," Holly replied wearily, "but in this case, we have to make an exception. We need your help."  
  
Artemis glanced at Butler, then back at the elf cop.  
  
"With what?" He asked, all business immediately.  
  
"The Haven got ransacked," Holly replied, bowing her head. "We got trashed, invaded, whatever you want to call it. The power has been shut down, some were kidnapped, others killed. The LEP headquarters burned to the ground."  
  
"Along with just about half the rest of the place," Demeter muttered. Artemis glared at her and she shut her mouth.  
  
"What action has been taken?" He asked, swiveling back to his computer and reopening files he never knew had existed till now.  
  
"Everything we can think of. The city is in lockdown, those without homes have been moved to the Rec Center. We've set up the best defense we've got. But it's not easy, there's not much leadership."  
  
Artemis turned slowly back around, his face growing ashen.  
  
"Where's Julius?"  
  
Holly shook her head, blinking rapidly.  
  
"He's dead."  
  
Artemis gawked at the elf for a minute, thinking back over the times he had seen the indestructible-looking, red-faced leader. This was just scary-to think of him dead?!  
  
"What do you need Artemis's help with?" Demeter asked, breaking the heavy silence.  
  
"He's got the brains and the technology to help us out. Foaly can't seem to get a peg on these guys, so two heads are better than one."  
  
"Well, then, cousin. What do you say, will you help?" Demeter looked over at him, curious.  
  
Artemis stared at the floor, his normally lightning-fast mind taking the recent information in like sludge. He looked up at Butler.  
  
"What do you think, my friend?"  
  
Butler did not reply, but the look on his face was enough. Artemis turned back to Holly.  
  
"What do you need us to do?" 


	3. Flight

Duskynite: Just finished reading' The Eternity Code'. Does anyone know if there's another coming out? Oh yes, this is my first Artemis Fowl fic. SIDE NOTE! I said in the beginning that Demeter had black eyes, then said later that her eyes were gray! Sorry! They are supposed to be black! If I made any other typos, I apologize. My bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters. I do own Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph, Ryu Koanoshi, and Demeter.  
  
Ice Raider: Thanks for the review!! Yes, it is a little unbelievable that Artemis would let his computer be hackable-but remember, Demeter is his cousin. If anyone can figure out how to hack him, it's her.  
  
Chrysgirl- =D Glad you like! I'm updating as fast as I can!  
  
Big Friendly Walrus- THIS IS NOT A MARY SUE! Ha! Could someone let me know if I start to stray into that territory though?  
  
Oh, one more thing. Tamogatchi is not mine either. You know, those little digital pet thingies from way back when? Don't own em either.  
  
Chapter Three:  
  
Captain Holly Short had a strange sense of déjà vu, sitting in the office of Artemis Fowl. The boy genius was already barking out orders to Butler-whom Holly was relieved to see-and the Mouse Girl-Demeter?  
  
"Captain Short, I need communication with Foaly. Hook me up," Artemis ordered, snapping the elf out of her reverie. Holly alighted on the table beside the computer and hooked up what looked like a small alarm clock. A minute later, Foaly's face flickered onto the screen. Demeter jumped back and Ryu drew his weapon.  
  
"Easy, Koanoshi," Butler warned. The younger bodyguard put his gun away, albeit a bit sheepishly. Demeter stared at the centaur's face, her jaw hanging slack.  
  
"Short!" Foaly cried. "Where in Frond's name have you been?!"  
  
"Getting help. Foaly, I've got Fowl."  
  
"Finally. Artemis, you there?"  
  
"Quite, Mr. Foaly. What's the situation?"  
  
"In a word? Hell. Everything has been short-circuiting for Frond knows how long. The bomb squad is going mad and the death toll keeps rising."  
  
"The fundamentals, Foaly, we need the fundamentals!" Artemis shouted, nearly rattling the monitor.  
  
"Right, right, fundamentals," Foaly started tapping away on the other side, and soon multiple screens with scrolling figures popped up all over the monitor.  
  
"As you can see, the invaders were like a primitive species of the People," Foaly explained rapidly. "They spoke in a language similar to our own, but not.the same, I guess. Their technology is pretty advanced, which disturbs me. Something as basic as these guys shouldn't have weapons and machinery as good as what they had."  
  
"What'd they have?"  
  
"Fire-bomb throwers that would make the Neutrino 2000 seem like a plaything, computerized vessels similar to that of a Mud-Man bulldozer. You name it, they had it."  
  
"Tamogatchi?" Demeter asked, popping up from under the computer table, where she had been hooking up some sort of copying device.  
  
"D'Arvit!" Foaly jumped back. "Holly! A Mud-Girl!"  
  
"Mouse Girl, more like it. Foaly, this is Artemis's cousin, Demeter. She's been sending the rodents down our shafts."  
  
Foaly glared at Demeter, who stared innocently back. Artemis growled under his breath and pushed her aside.  
  
"We have no time for foolish banter, Demeter," he warned. "You are no longer needed. Leave."  
  
"No. I got you into this, I'm staying!"  
  
"Out!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"They're RELATED?" Foaly squeaked. Holly rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yes. And she's the NICE one." That said as Demeter wacked Artemis upside the head with the picture.  
  
"Okay, okay, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Foaly bellowed. Both children froze.  
  
"Fowl, we need your genius down here in the Haven. Captain Short is going to beam you down, along with the big guy if he wants to come."  
  
Butler nodded.  
  
"How 'Star Trek'," Demeter sneered, crossing her arms grumpily. Holly gave her a look.  
  
"Maybe, you'll get to decide for yourself."  
  
"I'm coming?" Demeter's face lit up, giving her the appearance of a six year old at Christmas.  
  
"She's coming?" Artemis didn't look half as pleased. "She will be a burden!"  
  
"Her spies were the only ones that actually saw the assailants, and she's been gathering some information on what she saw. Mouse will be useful."  
  
"If Miss Demeter is going down there, then I'm coming to." Ryu added. Holly nodded.  
  
"Fine, fine, just get down here!" Foaly ordered as the screen jumped and fizzled. Holly unplugged it and stuck it back in her pack.  
  
"You heard him, let's go!" Holly jumped off the table and pulled out the camo-foil. This was going to be a LONG haul, even if it was just to the nearest shaft sight.  
  
"What about our parents, though?" Demeter asked. "They'll notice we're gone."  
  
"I'll do a time freeze," Holly promised, grabbing the girl and winding her up in the foil. Once she had the two children and the two bodyguards pretty much entirely invisible, she hooked them to her belt, took a deep breath, and launched herself into the air.  
  
"D'Arvit!" She swore. Even weighing only a fraction of their normal weight, the four Mud People weighed much more than what she was used to. She flew down the stairs, shielding herself as she flew and casting the time freeze as they bolted out the door.  
  
Demeter goggled at the world flying by below her. She was too fascinated with this whole turn of events to be queasy. She looked over at her cousin, who was staring straight ahead.  
  
"This is AMAZING!" She whispered. He glared stonily at her.  
  
"It's a mere pro-"  
  
"NO, you nimrod, not the science of it, the view! Do you realize we are FLYING? Can't you appreciate anything that doesn't have microchips or gold involved?"  
  
Artemis stared blankly at her. Demeter sighed and turned back to her sightseeing. She hadn't expected to do THIS when she began sending her mice down the strange shafts she had found in the trees behind her manor. The mice had returned bearing the strangest sights. A world underground that seemed to function almost independently from the world she knew. Now, she was about to see it for herself.  
  
"One question, will we fit down there? She asked suddenly.  
  
"Yes," Holly replied curtly. "Your body mass will condense to accommodate to the Haven, but your size right now shouldn't change much." She swung in a large arc around what looked like the top of a hollow tree. Artemis paled.  
  
"You will NOT-!"  
  
"See you at HQ, Fowl," Holly gave him a smirk as she unhooked the sling. The four humans flew down through the air and disappeared into the chute.  
  
"They scream rather loud, don't they?" Holly asked Foaly, who was howling with laughter on her monitor.  
  
"That was cruel, Holly, plain evil."  
  
"I've been dying to do something like that to Fowl ever since I met him. He needs a good blast of fear. Too bad I had to involve Butler in it, though. He'll probably be mad at me for it now."  
  
"And the girl?  
  
"Mouse? She'll be fine; she seems like a tough girl."  
  
"With Fowl for a cousin, she needs it," Foaly muttered as Holly dove into the shaft after the Mud People. The first Mud People to ever see, let alone enter, the Haven.  
  
Duskynite: Bleh, not much action yet. Working on it!!!! Reviews please, I live off 'em! Constructive criticism only. This is my first AF fic and flames will make me cry!!! Lol! 


	4. Spiders, Spiro, and other ugly things

Duskynite: Just finished reading' The Eternity Code'. Does anyone know if there's another coming out? Oh yes, this is my first Artemis Fowl fic. SIDE NOTE! I said in the beginning that Demeter had black eyes, then said later that her eyes were gray! Sorry! They are supposed to be black! If I made any other typos, I apologize. My bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters. I do own Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph, Ryu Koanoshi, and Demeter.  
  
Ice Raider: Thanks for the review!! Yes, it is a little unbelievable that Artemis would let his computer be hackable-but remember, Demeter is his cousin. If anyone can figure out how to hack him, it's her.  
  
Chrysgirl- =D Glad you like! I'm updating as fast as I can! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ROOT!! I haven't kill him off just yet (even if it does look like it)  
  
Big Friendly Walrus- THIS IS NOT A MARY SUE! Ha! Could someone let me know if I start to stray into that territory though?  
  
Dslguy14- **schniff** you flamed meeeee!!! Oh well, idc. Bai bai!!  
  
Oh, one more thing. Tamogatchi is not mine either. You know, those little digital pet thingies from way back when? Don't own em either.  
  
Chapter Four: Spiders, Spiro, and other nasty things  
  
Artemis made a mental note to hack some of Short's personal files while he was in the Haven as he hurtled down a pitch black chute. He could feel the air pressure building up around him, making his ears pop. He closed his eyes and waited for this less-than-thrill ride to end.  
  
The four tumbled out at the other end in an ungraceful heap. Demeter jumped up and looked around what appeared to be a landing bay.  
  
"Cool.my mice got some of this!" She crowed, bouncing around. Ryu jumped up and eyed the place warily. He didn't like the complete silence he was getting around here.  
  
"Everyone is in a lockdown," Holly explained as she descended from the gloom. "Come with me, we're going to visit Foaly."  
  
She took off at a brisk walk, following the emergency lights that glowed on the tunnel-like walls. Artemis hurried to catch up with her, Butler right behind him.  
  
"Holly, about Commander Root-"  
  
"He's gone, Mud Boy."  
  
"Is he?"  
  
Holly stopped in her tracks and glared at him.  
  
"When there's a crisis as big as this, Root was always the first one on the scene. He's been missing for days now. Unless they have him completely out of commission, he's dead."  
  
"He's not dead till we have a body," Artemis said firmly, glaring straight at the elf cop. "And I have an idea. Demeter!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are those bloody rodents of yours trained?"  
  
"Of course they are!" Demeter cried, bristling.  
  
"Then get them looking EVERYWHERE. We have a Commander to find. Now. Move!"  
  
Demeter's eyes widened and she turned to Ryu, whispering something. He handed her a backpack he had been carrying. She opened it and pulled out a cage.  
  
"You brought a mouse WITH you?" Holly cried. Demeter nodded.  
  
"Some people," she said, giving her cousin a pointed look, "never go anywhere without their spycams, weapons etcetra, I never go anywhere without Tinkerbell." She picked up not a mouse, but a large, tan rat. Artemis cringed.  
  
"Disgusting."  
  
"Perfect," Demeter grinned setting the rat, Tinkerbell, on the floor. It scampered for a minute, then came back to a stop at the girl's foot.  
  
"I need something of Root's, so Tink can follow a track."  
  
"Use this!" A fungus cigar came flying out the window of the Ops room and Foaly stuck his head out after it. "If anything identifies the bossman, it was those bloody cigars!"  
  
While Demeter took care of her tracking rat, Artemis, Holly, and Butler entered Ops.  
  
"Our biggest problem is that somehow these guys got into the Haven without us knowing. What's their secret? Who's been helping them? That sort of thing," Foaly explained as Artemis started doing preliminary searches on all files in the database. He frowned.  
  
"This can't be right.there are GAPS in your files, like something took a bite out of them." Artemis continued to type, processing everything at lightning speed. He kept noticing something, though. In every file that was missing information-mainly weapons and military files, not to mention some blueprints of the city-there was a little insignia. A spider.  
  
"Oh, no," Artemis could feel every ounce of blood in his body turn cold. "Oh, no, oh, no, NO!" He grabbed Foaly's shoulder and thrust the centaur's face at the screen. "Why didn't you tell me about that?!"  
  
"Because it wasn't foreign," Foaly replied in a remotely calm voice. "The computers have registered it before."  
  
"Of course they have!" Artemis shouted. "Because you were pinged before with it!! My me!"  
  
"By you? This is your technology?" Holly asked, frowning.  
  
"Yes, you stupid elf! The C Cube! The spider was the insignia of the C Cube!!"  
  
"Now, wait just a minute," Foaly retorted, shooing the Mud Boy away from Holly. "We took all fairy technology out of the C Cube. It's not doing this."  
  
"Not mine, maybe, but there's another in the world that is." Artemis replied, rubbing his temples as a new plan began to form at a rapid pace inside him. "When Spiro took the Cube, he had scientists look at it. It's very possible that they took blueprints on the makeup of the Cube and made one of their own. It may not have fairy technology, but they've managed to mirror it."  
  
Holly threw her hands in the air.  
  
"Why is it that ALL things bad lead back to YOU, Fowl? Are you FOND of destruction and confusion?"  
  
"Yes!" Was Demeter's muffled reply from outside.  
  
"Be quiet, Mouse!" Holly yelled back. Demeter walked in, grinning innocently.  
  
"Tink's on the trail. She'll be reporting back to this spot in forty- eight hours, so if you see her, Mr..um..what's your name again?"  
  
"Foaly," everyone replied in unison.  
  
"If you see her, Mr. Foaly, just let her in and she'll sit quiet till I get here."  
  
"Fine, fi-D'ARVIT!" Foaly swung back to the computers, his face livid. "We're getting chomped again!"  
  
Artemis looked over the centaur's shoulder as more gaps in information started to appear. Foaly set up firewalls, muttering under his breath the whole time. Artemis shook his head.  
  
"The Cube will dismantle those," he said with a hint of smug pride. "Even if it is a copy."  
  
"Shut your mouth, Mud Boy, just shut your mouth," Holly warned.  
  
Then the windows blew in.  
  
Butler hurled Artemis to the floor, shielding his young charge with his shoulders and back as glass rained in on the place. Ryu had shoved Demeter under a table and was blocking her from sight, weapon drawn. Foaly's hooves scrabbled on the slick floor as e righted himself and set the alarm, and Holly was already out the door, shouting into her helmet.  
  
Artemis scrambled after the elf cop, pushing Demeter back under the table when she tried to follow.  
  
"Too dangerous for kids like you; stay."  
  
Demeter glowered at him and followed anyway.  
  
The whole quadrant of the Ops compound had been completely flattened. There was a good sized crater in the ground where the bomb had apparently been dropped or planted. Artemis skidded down into it, looking for traces of the explosive.  
  
"Artemis?" Demeter called from above, her face hidden from view.  
  
"I told you to stay inside!" Artemis bellowed, his patience gone as he began to delicately pick up shreds of metal coated in a weird, bubbling fluid.  
  
"Artemis!" Demeter called again, a thread of fear in her voice. "What are those?"  
  
Artemis climbed out of the crater and looked around Butler. His eyes widened.  
  
Ryu was standing in front of Demeter, his gun drawn at something down the tunnel. Holly was standing about a dozen yards away, completely frozen. Demeter looked over at Artemis, her face pale.  
  
"We've got company."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
They looked like the ugliest kind of troll, only smaller of course. Their pebbly, mottled skin was drawn tight over narrow, pointed faces with slitted green eyes, pointy ears, and thin mouths. Their clothes were shreds, but those details were minute, compared to the weapons they carried. Giant, complex guns that glowed an eerie silver in the half-light and Artemis could hear the distinct rumble of machinery further down the tunnel.  
  
"Are these our guys?" Ryu shouted to Holly.  
  
"Yep."  
  
The lead ugly raised its head and started bellowing in a strange, screech-like language. Demeter clapped her hands over her ears and cringed. Artemis remained stoically unmoved.  
  
"What do we do?" He asked Butler, who now had his own weapon drawn.  
  
"We wait for them to make the first move. That's all we can do."  
  
For a moment time stood still. Then, another ugly creature from further back approached Holly, holding out what looked like-  
  
"A speaker?" Demeter frowned. She didn't like where this was going.  
  
"Hello, Artemis," a voice boomed from the black box. "Remember me?"  
  
"Spiro," Artemis whispered to Butler. "I thought he was in jail!"  
  
"Oh, I've been long gone out of jail," the voice cackled almost maniacally. "I've been having a lot of fun with this little box you created. Shame I couldn't have the original."  
  
"What are your demands, Spiro?" Artemis called, keeping his voice level and emotionless.  
  
"Demands? You misunderstand me, child." Spiro chuckled. "I have no need to make demands. I'm just here to practice my new toy. And what better way to do so, then to see how far its destructive capacity can go?"  
  
"Then why not go to a test field?" Demeter shouted. "Why kill people?!"  
  
There was silence from the block, then a group of the monsters surged towards Demeter and Ryu. Ryu opened fire on the uglies, but it didn't seem to have any effect.  
  
"Shoot all you want!" Spiro called in a singsong voice. "They can't die!"  
  
Artemis frowned, analyzing the monsters as they headed towards his cousin. Bullets were ineffective, so what would work? He looked around, then focused again on the slimy assailants. They were covered in the same goo as the shredded metal in the crater. Artemis's brain clicked and he smiled his vampire smile.  
  
"Short!" He shouted. "Blast it! They're not neutral to fire!"  
  
Holly knew better than to question the Mud Boy in this situation. She pulled out the Neutrino, set it on its highest setting, and fired a sweeping stream of white hot at the monsters.  
  
Above ground, the trees shook with suppressed explosions. 


	5. Titleless until I can think of one

Duskynite: Just finished reading' The Eternity Code'. Does anyone know if there's another coming out? Oh yes, this is my first Artemis Fowl fic. SIDE NOTE! I said in the beginning that Demeter had black eyes, then said later that her eyes were gray! Sorry! They are supposed to be black! If I made any other typos, I apologize. My bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters. I do own Aunt Katherine, Uncle Joseph, Ryu Koanoshi, and Demeter.  
  
Ice Raider: Thanks for the review!! Yes, it is a little unbelievable that Artemis would let his computer be hackable-but remember, Demeter is his cousin. If anyone can figure out how to hack him, it's her.  
  
Chrysgirl- =D Glad you like! I'm updating as fast as I can! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ROOT!! I haven't kill him off just yet (even if it does look like it)  
  
Big Friendly Walrus- ..not even going to deal with you. That goes to anyone else who remains in firm belief that this is a Mary Sue. Demeter is too whiny to be a good Mary Sue, I'm afraid.  
  
Snake-eyes1013-THANK YOU!! I LIKE IT TO!!! Lol!  
  
Becca- HALLELUJAH, another Artemis Fowl book is being made! YES! Thank you for telling me!!!!  
  
Chapter Five:  
  
Artemis groaned and sat up, cradling his aching head. Looking around, he could blearily see the scene of chaos around him. The monsters were gone- obviously-but had left a solid coating of that sticky goo all over the place. There was yet another crater-a bigger one, this time- in the ground, and everything around it was flattened.  
  
"Okay, that was unpleasant," Holly grumbled, sitting up a couple yards away. She glared at Artemis as soon as she could see straight. "Remind me not to listen to you again."  
  
"It was necessary to rid us of those.things." Artemis replied calmly, standing and brushing some of the ropy gunk off his clothes. Butler loomed up behind him, still looking around warily. Ryu was leaning against and twisted pillar of metal, looking mildly shellshocked.  
  
"AUGH! EW GROSS!" Demeter shrieked from a little ways away. She was totally unrecognizable, swollen and red. Artemis resisted the urge to burst out laughing.  
  
"You apparently are having an allergic reaction to the substance, whatever it is." He commented.  
  
"Ya think?" Demeter howled. "I'm as RED as a TOMATO and I'm SWOLLEN like a BALLOON!!!" She slipped and fell back into the gunk, looking completely miserable. Artemis snorted, failing in his attempt not to laugh.  
  
"Oh, give Mouse a break," Holly snapped, handing a handkerchief to the girl. Artemis rolled his eyes and forced the warped Ops door open.  
  
"Foaly, you alright?"  
  
Foaly gave him a look, heaving a shelf back into place. Artemis took that as a 'yes' and closed the door again.  
  
"Okay, so we know that Spiro DOES have a copy of the C Cube, and he's the one controlling these, these, things." Holly sighed and cleaned her Neutrino. "Guess we'll be paying him a visit, won't we?"  
  
"It seems most logical to do that, don't you think?" Artemis asked. The elf just gave him a nasty look and turned to Butler.  
  
"Is Juliet in the U.S. still?"  
  
"Yes," Butler nodded, frowning. "Will we need her help?"  
  
"It's possible," Holly nodded. She stomped into Ops-stomping only to get the gunk off her boots-and barked, "Foaly, we need an open shaft into Chicago!"  
  
Artemis looked over at his cousin, who now resembled something like a red smurf, and smiled a little sardonically.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"Loads," she retorted, wrinkling her nose. Apparently the world of fairies wasn't as idealized as she had thought.  
  
Duskynite: SORRY! Short chapter, I know. Can't help it. I'm going away tomorra for a week, so no chappies till after I get back. Bai Bai! 


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